President Mel Oller's Address to the 130th Convention
Compatriots and Ladies… Members, Friends and Guests of Texas SAR:
It is with profound gratitude that I stand before you this evening as the incoming president of the Texas Society, Sons of the American Revolution. To be entrusted with the leadership of a society that honors the legacy of our Ancestors is both a privilege and a responsibility I hold in high regard.
I would like to begin this evening by thanking those whose participation has been central to allowing me to pursue this effort. I start with my Bride Cyndy. Cyndy’s support has been most important to enable me to devote the time needed to perform the duties of an SAR Officer, thank you baby, and stick with me one more year. I would also like to ask all the wives of our Compatriots who are present tonight to stand. Ladies, thank you all for your continued support, our Society is better because of your efforts.
I also want to recognize and thank 4 Compatriots who have Mentored me and been most instrumental in encouraging me to undertake the journey that has led me here this evening. Please stand as I call your name: From Freedom Chapter Jim Kuykendall and John Thompson; from Robert Rankin Chapter Tom Jackson; and from Dallas Chapter Tom Van Fossen. Compatriots, your support and friendship has been most important, and I thank you for it.
As we begin a new year of work together, I want to remind us all of the purposes we have been assigned by our Congressional Charter. The SAR Congressional Charter was passed in 1906, and signed by President and fellow SAR member Teddy Roosevelt:
CONGRESSIONAL CHARTER OF THE NATIONAL SOCIETY
SONS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
36 U.S.C. Chap. 1533 (1998)
§ 153302. Purposes
The purposes of the corporation are patriotic, historical, and educational, and include those intended or designed--
- to perpetuate the memory of the men who, by their services or sacrifices during the war of the American Revolution, achieved the independence of the American people;
- to unite and promote fellowship among their descendants;
- to inspire them and the community at large with a more profound reverence for the principles of the government founded by our forefathers;
- to encourage historical research in relation to the American Revolution;
- to foster true patriotism;
- to maintain and extend the institutions of American freedom; and
- to carry out the purposes expressed in the preamble to the Constitution of our country and the injunctions of Washington in his farewell address to the American people.
I graduated High school in 1976, at the Bicentennial of the birth of our Nation. I remember what an important celebration that anniversary was to our Nation. As we enter the 250th anniversary of the events that began a Revolution that changed the world, I hope we are successful in helping to reclaim the Spirit of 76 that so many of us enjoyed during that celebration. I believe SAR can be an important part of helping our Nation reclaim that Spirit and sharing it with new generations.
I am deeply grateful to my predecessors for their leadership and dedication. I look forward to continuing our work together, upholding the ideals of liberty, patriotism, and service that define the Sons of the American Revolution.
Thank you for this honor, and enjoy the rest of the evening.
Thank you.